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Last-Minute Mincemeat Cake

A simple mincemeat cake to enjoy at Christmas. An easy recipe made with just a few ingredients and ready in no time, a last-minute alternative to a more laborious Christmas fruitcake.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 20 mins
Servings: 10
Calories: 543 kcal
Course: Cake
Cuisine: British

Ingredients

Mincemeat cake (Note 2):
  • 300 g mincemeat from a jar or homemade, 10.5 oz
  • 1 Small apple
  • 175 g unsalted butter soft, 6 oz/ ⅔ cup
  • 100 g dark brown muscovado sugar 3.5 oz/ ½ cup, Note 3
  • 3 eggs medium
  • 250 g self-raising flour 9 oz/ 2 cups, Note 4
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 35 g prunes 1.2 oz/ ¼ cup chopped, Note 5
  • 35 g raisins 1.2 oz/ ¼ cup
Topping (Note 5):
  • 75 g golden syrup 2.6 oz/ ½ cup
  • 40 g unsalted butter 1.4 oz/ scant 3 tablespoons
  • 45 g glace cherries 1.5 oz/ about ¼ cup
  • 65 g almonds whole and blanched, 2.3 oz/ ½ cup
  • 50 g walnuts 1.7 oz/ ½ cup
  • 40 g all-purpose flour 1.4 oz/ ⅓ cup
  • a pinch of salt

Instructions

Mincemeat cake:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preparations: Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease and line the cake tin with parchment paper.
  2. Mincemeat: Spoon it into a bowl. Peel and core the apple and chop it finely. Stir it into the mincemeat.
  3. Dough: Place the soft butter, muscovado sugar, eggs, flour, and salt into a large bowl. Mix shortly at low speed to combine. Increase the speed and beat the mixture for about 2 minutes until light and creamy. Stir in the mincemeat-apple mix using a spoon or a spatula.
  4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and smooth the surface. Tap the container gently on the working surface to release any air pockets.
  5. Bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes until almost done. Don’t forget to check after ½ - ¾ hour; if the top of the cake gets too dark, please cover it loosely with a piece of aluminum foil.
  6. Make the topping during the last 5-10 minutes of the baking time.
Topping:
  1. Combine: Heat the golden syrup and the butter in a small saucepan. Once the butter is melted, add cherries, almonds, walnuts, flour, and sea salt. Stir well to coat the ingredients with the syrup.
  2. Bake: Spread the mixture on top of the mincemeat cake and bake for another 13-14 minutes until the topping is shiny and golden.
  3. Cool cake: Place the tin on a wire rack and let the cake cool completely on the wire rack.

Notes

  • Alternative cake tins:
  • Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking; it guarantees the best results (Amazon affiliate link).
  • Muscovado sugar substitute:
  • Self-raising flour substitute:
  • Dried fruit: You can bake the cake without dried fruit or use any other dried fruit (and peel) you like.
  • Decoration: If you would like to cover the cake with fondant or royal icing, leave out the topping. Bake the cake for 1 ¼ hour or until done (toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake should come out clean). When cold, decorate it as desired.
  • Square tin - 18x18 cm/ 7x7 inches
  • Loaf tin – 15x20 cm/ 6x8 inches
  • You can replace it 1:1 with unrefined, molasses-containing sugar like jaggery, panela, or Sucanat.
  • The next best thing is dark brown sugar. Use almost the same amount, replacing one tablespoon of sugar with 1 tablespoon of molasses if available.
  • Mix 250 g of all-purpose flour with 3 ⅓ teaspoons of baking powder for this recipe.
  • Keep in mind that UK self-raising flour doesn’t contain salt, while American self-raising flour (often used for biscuits) does contain salt. If baking this recipe in the US, leave out the salt needed in the recipe or mix your own self-raising flour without salt.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1slice Calories 543kcal (27%) Carbohydrates 72g (24%) Protein 8g (16%) Fat 26g (40%) Saturated Fat 12g (60%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g Monounsaturated Fat 8g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 95mg (32%) Sodium 252mg (11%) Potassium 210mg (6%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 42g (84%) Vitamin A 647IU (13%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 51mg (5%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 10Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 543

% Daily Value*

Serving 1slice
Calories 543kcal 27%
Carbohydrates 72g 24%
Protein 8g 16%
Fat 26g 40%
Saturated Fat 12g 60%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g 24%
Monounsaturated Fat 8g 40%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 95mg 32%
Sodium 252mg 11%
Potassium 210mg 4%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 42g 84%
Vitamin A 647IU 13%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 51mg 5%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.